This paper examines certain aspects of employment among women workers in hired labour households, drawing on two surveys of Gokilapuram, a village in south-west Tamil Nadu, India, conducted in 1977 and 1999.

The Human Development Report for 1995 published by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) made a striking revelation that there was not a single country where women enjoyed equality with men.

The Integral Child Development Scheme (ICDS) with its network of anganwadis covering more than 3000 Community Development Blocks in the country is perhaps the the largest women and child development programme being Implemented anywhere in the world.

Shelter is one of the basic needs of human beings next only to food and clothing. ‘Housing’ is fundamental to the formation of individual capabilities and identities and family and community ties. It is as essential for a human being as air, water, food, and clothing.